Heavenly Life of the Martyrs

Transcript

GR 1528
05-03-09
Heavenly Life of the Martyrs
Revelation 7:9-17
Gil Rugh

We're studying the book of Revelation together in our study and we are in chapter 7, if you want to turn there in your Bibles. God's plan of salvation in the world has to be seen in the context of sin and God's wrath as directed against sin. And the manifestation of God's wrath in the world takes place in different manifestations, some more obvious and some less obvious. In Revelation 6-19 we are in one of the more obvious, but we today presently live in the context of God's wrath being revealed from heaven as well.

Come back to Romans 1 for a moment. In verse 16 Paul says I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written, the righteous man shall live by faith. Then you'll note verse 18, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. And there is the declaration that God's wrath is presently being revealed from heaven. Now it's not as overt and clearly seen by the world as future demonstration of His wrath may be, as some past demonstrations have been such as the flood of Noah for example. But it is being manifest. And we're not going to look into Romans 1, but the manifestation of God's wrath in the world is when He turns people over to the practice and pursuit of the things that they so love and desire to indulge in. So He turns them over, verse 24. God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, which involves dishonoring their bodies with all kinds of vile conduct, sexual immorality. God doesn't cause them to sin, He gives them over to their sinful desires. They have chosen to suppress the truth that He has revealed so that they might excuse their sin and pursue it.

Down in verse 26, God gave them over to degrading passions which they wanted to satisfy and fulfill. Down in the middle of verse 28, God gave them over to a depraved mind. We keep these things in mind, the present display of the wrath of God. Sometimes as believers in Jesus Christ we may become frustrated, not understand why this is happening in the world and what is happening as we see more and more overt displays of sinful conduct and behavior, the people proud of their sin. We need to remind ourselves, it is a display of the wrath of God that men and women should be turned over to their sin which they so love and be concerned by it.

Now as we come to the time yet in the future, back to Revelation 7, it will be a time when the wrath of God is even more fully displayed on this earth. And there will be a series of catastrophes that overtake the world as we have seen, a variety of kinds of catastrophes in the judgment of God. The series of judgments in the book of Revelation beginning with the seven seals. Every time a seal is broken in this scroll and it is opened, a judgment comes out. You break the second seal, another judgment. And we've seen a series of these judgments. In Revelation 6:8 we are told just in that specific judgment there that one-quarter of the earth's population is doomed to die. As these judgments proceed and as come to the sixth seal and the awesome wrath of God being poured out on the world with such fury, people in the world begin to recognize the hand of God in bringing judgment on the world. And we saw in verse 15, the kings of the earth, the great men, the commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave and free man, people of all walks of life, all status—the rich, the poor, the weak, the powerful. They hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? The fierceness of God's wrath brings destruction upon a world that has rejected Him, that has persisted in the suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

You know God allows no excuses, He says it is not that they don't know, it's that the revelation that has been given to them, they refuse to acknowledge, they suppress it because they want to pursue their own sinful desires and lusts. Now His wrath breaks out in great fury.

The sixth seal, there is one more seal to come. That will be broken open in chapter 8 verse 1. So chapter 7 is an interlude between the sixth and the seventh seal. And out of the seventh seal is going to come seven trumpet judgments that are more severe than the previous seal judgments. And then out of the seventh trumpet will come the seventh bowl judgment that will lead us to Armageddon and the climax of God's judgment on this world. What you have in chapter 7 is identifying God's grace as shown to man, even during this time of wrath on the earth. And we have looked at the opening verses of chapter 7. The first eight verses tell us that there are 144,000 from the nation Israel, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes that are sealed by God to guarantee their safety and security during this time of trial and tribulation on the earth. They will come to God's salvation, there will be people saved during this time of wrath on the earth. The church will have been removed. When we start this seven-year period there will be no believers on the face of the earth, but the testimony concerning Jesus Christ will have been left; there will be multitudes of Bibles available. Every Bible you have in your home will be left here, left behind and so on. God will raise up witnesses for Himself. These 144,000 would fit into that category. But that's not all those who will be saved during this seven-year period. And so what you have in verses 9-17 is an evidence of God's grace in saving not only people from the nation Israel, but people from every nation in the world.

We move to another vision. Statements like chapter 7 verse 1, after this moves us on to another stage with a vision. Then chapter 7 verse 9, after these things, another vision. This is a separate group that we're going to pick up in verse 9 distinct from the previous. God's mercy and grace is great during this time of His greatest wrath on the earth, so that not only will there be Jews saved but there will be multitudes of Gentiles. Verse 9, after these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne, before the Lamb clothed in white robes. And palm branches were in their hands. I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count. John says, I wouldn't even begin to try to count this group, I mean, you can't count them. And they come from every nation, all tribes and peoples and tongues. Remember Jesus said during the seven-year tribulation, and Matthew 24 talking about it, this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world. Then the end will come. Now we're not talking about that needing to be done before the church can be raptured, we're talking about what will take place ultimately in this 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year tribulation. The gospel is going to permeate the world and there are going to be people from all over the world saved by God's grace during this time. A multitude which you can't count and they are from all over the world. So there is going to be a remarkable work of God's grace going on during this time of remarkable judgment on the world and the pouring out of God's wrath on an unbelieving world.

This great number is seen standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Now the scene is the throne room in heaven. Back in chapters 4-5 we saw the throne roome in heaven. Now here we are taken to the throne room again to see this group. Verse 11, the angels that are around the throne with the elders, the living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne. Down in verse 15, for this reason they are before the throne of God, this innumerable multitude. So they are seen in heaven before the throne of God in heaven. And they have joined with the angels, the elders, the living creatures that we saw in chapters 4-5 in the throne room scene there.

They are clothed, the end of verse 9, in white robes and palm branches were in their hands. White robes are representative of victory, righteousness, they have been cleansed, given righteousness. We'll see more of that as we move along in a little bit. They have palm branches in their hands. Palm branches were representative of great joy, celebration. Remember what we call Palm Sunday when Jesus Christ triumphantly entered Jerusalem and they were scattering palm branches. Interestingly, palm branches were used with that symbolism among Greeks and Romans in the secular world as well, of celebration, of joy. So here they are clothed in white, they are holding palm branches depicting their joy and celebration in victory, and they are in heaven.

What are they doing? Verse 10, they cry out with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. This multitude is continually giving testimony to God, giving Him glory, giving Him all the honor for His salvation. You'll note here, salvation to our God who sits on the throne. Remember when we saw the throne room in chapters 4-5 God the Father was sitting on the throne. And to the Lamb, verse 10. Some people have questions about the deity of Jesus Christ. How can you have a question about the deity of Jesus Christ as you read the book of Revelation? I mean, we saw in chapter 5 that the Lamb is worshiped with the Father. Later in the book of Revelation in chapter 19 John is so overwhelmed with the revelations he is receiving through angels that he falls down to worship an angel. And the angel immediately rebukes him and says, don't do that. I'm a created being like you. You only worship God. Yet through the book of Revelation we find Jesus Christ being worshiped because He is the God/Redeemer, the second person of the triune God.

Salvation to our God. What that means is they are crediting God, not that He needs salvation, but they are giving Him the credit for their salvation. God has brought us our salvation, the salvation we have is not to our credit, it's to God's credit. He has bestowed His salvation on us. Salvation from the Father and the Lamb, so He gets the praise and the glory.

Joined with this, verse 11, all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God. We've looked at these different groups in our studies in chapters 4-5 as they join in worshiping God.

Back up to chapter 5 verse 11 for example, then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders. So you see the angels, the living creatures, the elders. The number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. Again, you can't count them. Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, blessing. And every created thing in heaven and on earth and so on declare, verse 13, to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. You see the Lamb, Jesus Christ, joined in receiving worship and praise from all the hosts of heaven.

That's what we see here now in chapter 7 with this host. It's interesting to see the angels here joining in worshiping God in this context of giving God all the glory, all the credit for salvation. Now angels never experience salvation, remember. In Hebrews 2 we are told that Jesus Christ did not take upon Himself the nature of angels to pay the penalty for the sin of angels. So there never was salvation provided for angels. When angels rebelled against God following Lucifer and his rebellion, that forever sealed their fate. They were doomed for eternity. God is not obligated to provide salvation for sinful beings, He is only obligated to deal with them in justice and He will when He sentences fallen angels to hell. But in grace and mercy He has provided salvation for us. But here the angels join in the worship being offered by those who have experienced salvation. Do you know why? Because they rejoice in the God who has done this.

Back up to Luke 15. There we are told that while angels do not experience salvation, they enter into the joy of sinners who have been redeemed and rejoice over their salvation. Verse 10, Jesus is speaking, in the same way I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The angels of heaven, we heard testimonies tonight from the young men coming to trust Christ. When they trusted Christ, the angels of heaven rejoiced. When you trusted Christ, the angels of heaven rejoiced because we are told there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Remarkable. You think of the wonder of God's salvation, even the angels celebrate that, that God has saved a sinner. Our God that we serve, a God of infinite mercy and love has saved a sinner and there is joy among the angels.

Turn over to I Peter 1. And Peter is talking about the salvation that was prophesied in the Old Testament and has come to fruition with the coming of Christ and His death on the cross. Verse 10 picks up the idea, as to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, they were trying to sort this out, that the Christ that they prophesied about would come and reign in glory, yet He would suffer and die. And they didn't understand how it all would fit together. Verse 11, the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow. It was revealed to them, verse 12, they were not serving themselves but you in these things. In other words the message they were prophesying was not one that they would get to experience, but now in the days of Peter here these people had seen the salvation of God. They've experienced it, the Savior had come and died, been raised from the dead. We see the hand of God at work, we know He is coming again. You and I understand things Old Testament prophets couldn't understand. God had to reveal to them that there was some 2000 years between the first coming of the Messiah and the Second Coming.

We're here to note though, the last part of this. Verse 12, things into which angels long to look. There has never been salvation experienced among the angels. But they look into what God is doing in saving people today and drawing them together into His church. And they celebrate and rejoice at the power of God bringing salvation to fallen being. They are observers of salvation, but they have never experienced it. They are unfallen, they don't need it. And for those who do it, it has never been provided. So they are observing salvation and it has been carried out for you and for me.

Back to Revelation 7. You want to cause celebration in heaven? Go out and lead someone to Christ tonight and say, the angels in heaven are rejoicing. I was privileged to lead someone to Christ. That is a momentous event. An event we're celebrating, when you think the angels of heaven are rejoicing, what a great privilege that we are involved in being able to carry the gospel to lost people that brings about a salvation that causes even the angels of heaven to rejoice over.

Verse 11, all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying, amen. Amen to what? Verse 10, salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Amen, that's true. They agree with this ascription of salvation to God. They have known down through the centuries of time the joy of celebrating and rejoicing over the salvation of one sinner. A reminder that God gets all the glory for salvation. Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Every bit of credit for our salvation goes to God, He is given the glory, He is given the credit, He is given the honor.

So we carry on in verse 12, amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen again. I mean, this is true, we agree, we assent, give our agreement to this as well. It's a seven-fold doxology here and it's very similar to the one we read back in chapter 5 verse 12. Again power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, blessing—seven-fold ascription of praise back in chapter 5 verse 11. Here we have seven things starting out with blessing, eulogia, a eulogy. Sometimes we connect that with giving a eulogy at a funeral, a word of blessing regarding the person, a good word concerning them. Here it is blessing or praise to God for His salvation. It also ties to the statement, we got a picture of all the host of heaven in verse 11 but don't break it off from verse 10. Salvation to our God and to the Lamb. Amen, blessing, praise to Him for our salvation. Glory, doxa, we have the doxology. All the credit for salvation goes to Him and He gets the glory. Wisdom. Salvation displays the wisdom of God.

Come back to I Corinthians 1. You know we as believers ought never to be intimidated by the wisdom of the world, intimidated into silence, reluctant to speak because we don't know enough, we're not as intelligent or as scholarly as someone else. We have the wisdom of God. Salvation displays the wisdom of God. In I Corinthians 1:18, the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through which wisdom did not come to know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message proclaimed to save those who believed. Jews ask for signs, Greeks search for wisdom but we preach Christ crucified. To Jews a stumbling, to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. There it is. When we ascribe to God wisdom the host of heaven ascribes Him wisdom that He would provide a salvation. He provides for man what he could not provide for himself, what he could not accomplish with his most brilliant thoughts. He could never conceive of how he might be forgiven his sin, receive righteousness from God and be cleansed. God chose not to use man's wisdom and brilliance, and man does have wisdom and brilliance in the common grace of God. You understand you don't get saved that way, you get saved through the foolishness of preaching, that moronic stupidity as the world would look at it. We preach Christ crucified. And they try to entangle us in intellectual arguments and say, you don't understand.

Verse 17, Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, not in wisdom of speech so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. We're not trying to meet the world on its battlefield, we're not trying to win the argument. We're simply here to tell you about Jesus Christ, the Savior who came from heaven, crucified, buried and raised from the dead. Sounds foolish, doesn't it. But there is no other way to be saved. That is God's wisdom in providing salvation for fallen men. Christ, the power of God, the wisdom of God. And so Christ is God's wisdom.

Down in verse 30, but by His doing you are in Christ Jesus. You'll note He gets the credit. Why are you in Christ Jesus? It is His work. Who became to us wisdom from God. Why? So God gets all the credit. Just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. Coming from Jeremiah 9, let not the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he knows Me, the living God. Christ, the wisdom of God. I have nothing to boast of, I did nothing. But He did it all. And so my salvation in the glories of heaven He declared to His glory, to His honor.

Come back to Revelation 7. Thanksgiving, all the gratitude, all the thanks for the salvation goes to God. Will we cease through eternity to thank God for our salvation? No. Honor, esteem. It's used in these doxologies, ascription of praise. In chapter 4 verse 11, chapter 5 verse 12, chapter 5 verse 13. Honor or esteem goes to Him. That's why the whole concept of self-esteem is contrary to scripture. God gets all the esteem, all the honor. Power, dumas. Dynamic, dynamo, dynamite, those kinds of words come from this Greek word. It's God's omnipotence that accomplishes our salvation. Think about it. You were saved personally and individually. There is no salvation that takes place in a group. There can be a number of people in a group saved at the same time, but each act of salvation occurs one sinner at a time. And it took the power of God unleashed in your life, in my life. The gospel is the power of God. So the ascription to God of power to accomplish salvation in the life of a sinner. You think about it. The angels have to look and observe that the omnipotent God has unleashed His power to save that sinful being. What a powerful work. Might, a word that can be connected to power. Might is God's strength that is behind all that He is and all that He does. Ephesians 1:18-19, you have these words put together, power and might and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the display of His might and His power. And our salvation shows the strength of God to bring about what His power determined to accomplish and has provided. And this is ascribed to God forever and ever, amen. I think for all eternity this will be true and I'm glad for that because my salvation is an eternal salvation and this will be ascribed to God for His glory for all eternity.

Verse 13 of Revelation 7. Then one of the elders answered saying to me, these are clothed in the white robes, who are they and where have they come from? Now this is not a question because the elder doesn't know, it's a question to draw John out because the elders remember are gathered before the throne of God in heaven. We saw them again in chapters 4-5.

Verse 14, John said, I said to him, my lord, you know. He said to me, got his attention now, these are the ones that come out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. You ought to underline that, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation. That identifies this great multitude described in verse 9. This is a specific group of people. It doesn't include you or me, it doesn't include Peter who was martyred for his people. This is just a specific group of people who come out of the great tribulation, the turmoil, the wrath that is being poured out on the world in these chapters in the book of Revelation. That's who this group is before the throne of God in heaven. They have come out of the great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Washed their robes and made them white, dirty garments are symbolic in the Bible of the defilement of sin.

Go back to Isaiah 64:6, all of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. All of us wither like a leaf, our iniquities like the wind take us away. You see that connection. We are like one who is unclean. All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, the picture of our pollution and the best of our righteous deeds as God sees it, polluted, defiled. All our righteousnesses as polluted garments, as the book of Isaiah says elsewhere as well. But in Isaiah 1:18 he says, come now and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though our sins are as scarlet they can be white as snow, though they are red like crimson they can be white like wool. The cleansing that God can bring to a defiled person.

Turn to Zechariah 3. And here you have a picture of the filthy garments. The chapter opens up, he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. Now look at verse 3, now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, remove the filthy garments from him. Again he said to him, see I have taken your iniquity away from you. I will clothe you with festal robes. So you see the filthy garments picture his iniquity, his defilement. But now these in heaven who have come out of the great tribulation have washed their robes, they have been cleansed, they have received the festal robes, showing their victory and the cleansing they have received.

Back to Revelation 7. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. There is no cleansing from sin apart from the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ represents His death and He died to pay the penalty for sin. And it is His death on the cross that enables us to be cleansed. And that cleansing washes us clean when you place your faith in Him. That's why all of man's best efforts that make himself pleasing to God accomplish nothing, but add to his guilt. Because in trying to please God with our works, we are rejecting His provision when He is saying that we can't be saved by works. Even the best works that we could do, they are just polluted garments in the sight of God. But the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Back in Revelation 1:5, to Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. Come over to chapter 5 verse 9, they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. So that's the work of God to create a people for Himself by cleansing them through faith in the Son of God, the Lamb of God.

Back to Revelation 7. So this is a group who has come to believe in Christ during this time of tribulation. Multitudes of them will be martyrs. We saw martyrs previously in the book. Back in chapter 6 verse 11, these martyrs were each given a white robe, they were told to rest a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been would be completed also. So many people saved in the tribulation but there is a price to be paid as many of them, multitudes of them will die in the tribulation, multitudes of them martyred for their faith.

Verse 15, for this reason they are before the throne of God, they serve Him day and night in His temple and He who sits on His throne will spread His tabernacle over them. You'll note there is a great blessing here. Here are those, some of them have died the most horrible deaths, but where are they now. II Corinthians 5 says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord for the believer. Paul said I would rather depart from this life and be with Christ which is far better. That's what we're talking about has happened here. They have died, perhaps terribly painful deaths, but what do they have now? Glory in the presence of Christ. So a reminder of the greatness of our salvation.

For this reason they are before the throne of God, they serve Him night and day in His temple and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. And they are under the care of God, under His protection. Nothing can harm them, nothing can hurt them, they are safe forevermore. They serve Him night and day. We won't be idle in heaven, we won't be bored in heaven, we won't be wondering what do I do now. You know, it's been a hundred billion years, I just think I've done everything there is to do. You know how we are here. We do something and it's fresh and it's exciting and it's new, but we do it for a while and we become distracted. We say, I need something else, I need something more. They serve Him night and day. There will be no boredom. So I don't know what all we'll do, I know some of the things God says we will do, but my mind can't grasp that. That I won't lose interest, that it won't get monotonous in a hundred trillion years or whatever is after that. You know we're going to do this forever and ever. But the God who created us, this is a joy that we have even now and that God who created us enables us to have a fullness that we could not experience any way else.

They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore, nor will the sun beat down on them nor any heat. All the trials of life are over. Isaiah 49:10 promised this, God keeps His word. What a terrible way they died, it was awful, I can't get it out of my mind. Get it out of your mind, it's not bothering them a bit. They are in the glory of heaven. None of the problems of this life, none of the pains of this life are an issue anymore. For the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, will guide them to the springs of the water of life and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Remember John 10, the Good Shepherd passage. He's going to shepherd us for all eternity, provide for us, care for us, the springs of the water of life. Turn over to Revelation 22:1, he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb. That is our constant privilege to benefit from that, our constant blessing.

Back up to chapter 21 verse 4, He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, no longer any death, no longer any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away. We enter into eternal dimension of the kingdom but here in glory. No matter what kind of death you die, once you are dead your spirit leaves the body. You know where you are? You are in the presence of glory. Sometimes we as believers get a little bit confused in our thinking and we think, it's too bad they had to die that way, I hate to think they went through that. No matter how I die, don't fret over it. You know what's going to happen to me the moment I leave this body? I'm going to be up here in this kind of scene. I hate to think you're down here mourning over me, because I'm not going to be up there mourning over you. I hate to be up there celebrating and rejoicing and you down here, it's too bad he had to go that way, too bad he couldn't hang on just a little longer, too bad he had to have so much pain. None of that matters. And here is a testimony. These are a special group of people but they are a reminder to us that everyone who belongs to God has this privilege to step from this life into His glory when death comes, however death comes. So what could I want? The Lamb will be the One who cares for me through eternity, He will make provision for me. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, there will be no sorrow in heaven. It's done. Before the throne of God we won't weep, we won't mourn. How will we do this? There will be loved ones that won't be there because they never trusted Christ. There will be no tears over that in glory. God takes care of it all, it will be endless joy.

So here we see God's grace. In the coming tribulation, even in that awful time there are going to be a number from all the tribes and languages and nations of the earth. And you know what? They are saved by God's grace. Now be careful, don't take this for granted and say, I'll just wait and when the tribulation comes I'll know it's true and then I'll believe. You don't play games with God. Today is the day of salvation. When He gives an opportunity you had better take advantage of it, He may not give the same opportunity tomorrow. That's why He says today is the day of salvation. Respond today. You say, no, I may do it in the future. No, you do it on God's schedule and He gives you opportunity today to take advantage of that. Praise God there will be grace even in wrath.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for these who will come out of the great tribulation. Lord, a time of awful devastation and destruction as your wrath is poured out on an unbelieving world to a degree and extent that has never happened before. And yet even in that time of awful wrath and judgment there is mercy and grace as you are drawing multitudes of people to yourself so that they might experience your salvation. And even as they die, give their life and testimony for the Savior that they have come to love, your grace evident and heaven rejoices. And they are privileged to be gathered before your throne to give you glory for your salvation. And Lord, we're reminded as those who have experienced your grace in these days of the wonder of our salvation, the privilege to belong to you and be honored to share the message of this salvation that heaven celebrates and that we can tell to a lost and sinful world. There is a Savior. You can be cleansed from the defilement of sin, you can have the clothing of the righteousness of Christ, you can be clean and pure because the power of God can save you, cleanse you and make you new. We praise you as the God of salvation. In Christ's name, amen.